Uncle Silas knowed
how powerful he was, and how little chance he had
against such a man, and he was scared and worried, and
done everything he could think of to smooth him over
and get him to be good to him: he even took his no-
account brother Jubiter on the farm and give him wages
and stinted his own family to pay them; and Jubiter
done everything his brother could contrive to insult
Uncle Silas, and fret and worry him, and try to drive
Uncle Silas into doing him a hurt, so as to injure Uncle
Silas with the people. And it done it. Everybody
turned against him and said the meanest kind of things
about him, and it graduly broke his heart -- yes, and
he was so worried and distressed that often he warn't
hardly in his right mind.
"Well, on that Saturday that we've had so much
trouble about, two of these witnesses here, Lem Beebe
and Jim Lane, come along by where Uncle Silas and
Jubiter Dunlap was at work -- and that much of what
they've said is true, the rest is lies. They didn't hear
Uncle Silas say he would kill Jubiter; they didn't hear
no blow struck; they didn't see no dead man, and they
didn't see Uncle Silas hide anything in the bushes.
Look at them now -- how they set there, wishing they
hadn't been so handy with their tongues; anyway,
they'll wish it before I get done.
"That same Saturday evening Bill and Jack Withers
DID see one man lugging off another one.
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